Teen Drunk Driving: Facts & How to Stop It

Teen drunk driving is not good for anyone and should be avoided at all costs so that nobody gets hurt or killed. Driving under the influence of alcohol greatly impairs your ability to make sound and safe judgments. Learn just how fatal teen drunk driving is and how you can stop it from harming someone you know.

Teen Drunk Driving Facts

The best way to demonstrate how catastrophic teen drunk driving can be is to turn to the facts. Numbers don’t lie. Keep in mind that the legal drinking age in the United States is 21, so, technically, teenagers shouldn’t even be drinking alcohol in the first place, let alone driving while inebriated. However, teens seem to always find a way around the rules. Breaking the law, in this case, is foolishly dangerous. Let’s take a look at the teen drunk driving statistics to see just how dangerous it is.

Most teen crashes occur on the weekends when teens are too busy having fun to pay attention to their driving

Teens tend to underestimate or not recognize dangerous situations

Every 15 minutes, a teenager will die due to drunk driving

Every day, 8 teens die in DUI crashes

60% of all teen deaths from car accidents involve alcohol

In a national survey conducted in 2011, 24% of teens reported that within the previous month, they had ridden with a driver who had been drinking alcohol

One in 10 teens in high school drinks and drives

In 2010, 56% of teens killed in drinking and driving accidents were not wearing their seat belts

How to Stop Teen Drunk Driving

Teen drunk driving accidents and deaths can be due to a multitude of factors. Because teenagers are new to driving, they are not as experienced or comfortable behind the wheel as the older drivers on the road. Because of this, plus teens’ tendencies to rebel and make poor decisions, the drinking and driving rates go up for these young drivers. It’s a sad realization that some teenagers can never become adults because they made the wrong decision to drink, drive under the influence of alcohol, and/or ride in the car with someone who’s driving drunk.

Thankfully, statistics from a survey conducted in October 2012 show that teenage drunk driving has decreased by 54% since 1991, showing progress. The only way to continue this progress, though, is to continue education. Education is key, especially when there are so many things to learn about driving and being a safe driver. Online traffic school and online driver’s education are two great ways to brush up on and improve your driving knowledge. There are plenty of reputable driving resources online that make it easy for you to stay informed and make safer decisions behind the wheel.

Teen drunk driving is not something to take lightly. Be part of the solution and share these facts with the people you care about—you could save a life.